The Tau
thumb|300px|left History The Tau are a young highly technoligical And fight for the greater good In the 35 millenuim the imperium of man first found the Tau When an Adeptus mechanicus fleet came across a uninhabited solar system in the galaxy Damolcas Gulth. They sent out probes and found a alien race calling themselves the Tau. The Adeptus Mechanicus thought they were a pointless race and sent out brandishers to exterminate them, But freak warp storms wrecked their ships and had to return home.The system was left for some time. On the Tau home planet the Tau began tribes and and quickly learnt of stone fortifications. the tau tribes were at war with each other and thousands died, then disease came and started killing the tau as well. At the age of the 37th millenuim The Tau were on the verge of killing themselves. At the same time when war And disease Were at their worst, strange events happened. Flickering lights in the sky and half glimsed figures seen in the mountain. On the plains of Fio'taun, An alliance of Mountain tau and plains Tau laid siege on the fortress city of the builder tau. The siege lasted 5 seasons, But supplies ran low and disease ran through the city and the plains Tau had no other resolution but victory beyond conflict. One night, a Tau of unusual appearance entered the attacker's camp and asked to see the army's commander. Despite being softly spoken, the sentries found themselves unable to resist the stranger, and escorted him to their leader. At the same time, another mysterious Tau presented himself to those guarding the walls of Fio'taun, asking to speak to their commander. Again, this mysterious individual was obeyed, and within the hour he led the castellan and the other leaders of the fortress-city outside the gates. Outside, the party from the fortress were met by the first mysterious Tau, himself leading a group from the besiegers' camp. Commanding the two groups to sit, the pair of mysterious Tau, calling themselves Ethereals, began to explain how the talents of the different tribes could be harnessed. They spoke of a "Greater Good" that could be achieved through unification of the tribes, and by sunrise, the two forces had declared a truce. Over the next year, more of the Ethereals appeared, preaching the messages of peace and the Greater Good across the planet, and by the end of the year, the wars were over and the Tau began to flourish like never before. Having saved their race from extinction, the Ethereals were revered with the utmost devotion by the other Tau, who readily adapted to the new caste system established by the Ethereals. The Caste System Fire Caste (Shas) The Fire Caste are the soldiers of the Tau Empire. It is their duty to protect the other castes, and as such are the Tau most often used in the tabletop game. They have relatively larger muscles when compared to those of other castes. They do not train for close combat, due to the fact that they see it as barbaric. When hand-to-hand combat is unavoidable, it is generally entrusted to Kroot and Vespid Auxiliaries. The Tau fire caste do, however, have more agility, stamina and endurance than the other castes. The worlds of Vior'la and Sa'cea are predominantly made up of the fire caste. Earth Caste (Fio) The Earth Caste is primarily made up of farmers, labourers, and technicians; responsible for building the machines, cultivating the food, and erecting the dwellings that allow the Tau to survive. The Earth caste also includes artisans, scientists, and engineers. Members of the Earth caste are stout of build, and tend to have calloused hands and a pragmatic outlook on life. Bork'an is well known for the number of its Earth caste. Water Caste (Por) The Water Caste is made up of merchants, diplomats, and administrators. They are responsible for maintaining effective interaction between the castes, as well as communicating with and supervising the integration of alien species into the Tau Empire or dealing with alien species. Members of the water caste range from around 5 to 6 feet which is relatively the same height as the earth caste and ethereals. Dal'yth and Tol'ku are septs made up mostly of Water caste. Air caste (Kor) The Air Caste of the Tau traditionally functioned as messengers, but now fill the ranks of the Tau Navy (Kor'vattra), working as pilots and starship crews. The Air caste lives almost entirely off-world, and as such have developed long, slender limbs, with a skeletal and muscular structure of reduced strength. Prior to the unification of the Tau castes, the Air caste were said to possess membranous wings, allowing them to glide on warm air currents. While it is doubtful that any modern Air Caste members ever under their own power, they still retain a flap of skin between their arms and torso, indicating that they once had wings. They are quite tall, around 7 feet, but very thin and slender. Tau'n and Vash'ya are the more Air-caste oriented septs. Etheral Caste (Aun) Aun is translated as either Ethereal or Celestial, and describes the mysterious Tau subspecies that ended the inter-tribal warfare of the Tau and established the doctrine of the Greater Good. The Ethereals are the leaders of the Tau, and appear to combine the roles of priesthood and royalty in Tau society. Ethereals resemble the Fire Caste in build, but are marked by a diamond-shaped ridge of raised bone in the centre of their foreheads. Ethereals are obeyed without question by the other castes, and the suspects that this control is the result of a latent pheromone-based power. It is not unknown or even uncommon for Ethereals to become adopted into a caste, dedicating themselves as leading that group in particular. This has often been met with approval by the senior Aun who believe it allows more in-depth leadership of the infrastructure. The Tau homeworld and the sect T'olku are both regarded to have the wisest ethereals. Human Caste (Gue'vesa) Gue'vesa ("Human Helper") is the name the Tau give to the humans who have joined their empire. After the Damocles Gulf Crusade, many were stranded in Tau-controlled regions of space after being abandoned by the Imperium. helped them by giving these humans the option of joining the Tau Empire, an offer that most accepted. In a Ciaphas Cain novel, there are a large number of people who can be considered Gue'vesa, as they support the Tau Empire over the Imperium, even though the world in question is still under the jurisdiction of the Imperium. The Ranks The Tau System Ranks Are Tau Ending 350px|left